Sheet-metal display-can.



W. L. LASKEY.

SHEET METAL DISPLAY GAN.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1l 1907 978,041 A Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

-ff d f1 y is; 7

' I l Walde@ 1 3. Las/feg M W r I Zr/zqya,

nu: Nanni: Psnnn cn.. wAsmNcfN. nA c.

UNITED ,strains PATENT OFFICE.

WALDEN L. LASKEY, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., .A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SHEET-METAL DISPLAY-GAN.

part by a removable glass plate so that the contents of the can may be seen or dis played, and in part by a removable sign plate, the lower edge of which interlocks with or engages the upper edge of the glass plate, so that the two removable plates will coperate with each other in holding each other in place, and so that both plates may be removed without the necessity of providing an open slot or passageway through the upper end of the can for insertion and removal of the sign plate: and so that the hinged cover of the can will not extend over the entire-upper end of the can, and so that the can may have al fixed top plate covering a portion of the top area, thus materially strengthening the can as a whole.

My invention consists in the novel construction of parts and devices and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown and described and by which j this object or result is accomplished.

`vertical section on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective view of a sheet metal display can embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a verti cal section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3Iis a Fig. 4t is a horizontal section on line 1 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a partial plan view showing one corner of the can body. Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section illustrating a modification.

In the drawing A represents the bottom plate of the can, the same having marginal seaming flanges a soldered, folded or otherwise seamed or secured to the upright sides B B B of the body, which are preferably formed integrally with each other or of one piece b suitable corner bends b b in the can body biitnk.

D is the sheet metal front plate of the can,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led May 1, 1907.

Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

Serial No. 371,339.

the same being preferably of brass, and furnished with a combined display and sign plate opening D1 therein surrounded by a marginal inwardly projecting angle flange cl, preferably slightly concavely curved so that the extreme marginal edge or marginal portion l1 of this fiange will be substantially parallel to and fit nearly flat against the removable glass display plate C and removable sign plate F both of which fit inside the brass front plate D. The three upright sides B B B of' the can body are furnished at their upper ends with inwardly projecting horizontal flanges b1 which are provided with mitered or overlapping joints b2 at the upright corners Z1 b of the body, and preferably connected by solder or other means. The horizontal flanges b have edge folds b3 further strengthening the same and giving a smooth finish to the mouth of the can.

At the front, the upright edges of the side plates B B are furnished with right angle flanges 1f* to give additional strength and stiffness to the can body and afford a flat face for the brass front plate D to fit against. The t'ront plate D, which is preferably of brass, has a marginal flange (Z2 which embraces the bottom plate A, the upright sides B B and the sectional top plate (l, to which said flange. oit the front plate is suitably secured by a soldered or other seam.

H is the hinged cover of the can, the same being secured at one edge by a suitable hinge zto the sectional top plate Gr. The sectional top plate G is furnished with end flanges g embracing the upright sides B B ot' the can, and to which it is secured by solder. The sectional top plate G has at its hinge edge a right angle stiftening flange g1 furnished with a fold '(/L to give additional 95 strength and a smooth finish to this partof the can mouth. 'I he hinge /L preferably comprises hinge straps 71. soldered or otherwise secured to the sectional top plate G, a hinge pin or pintle 7a4 and hinge eyes it 100 formed integral -with the cover H. The cover Il has a marginal flange It at its sides and free end, each furnished with a fold 71.7 to give a smooth finish to the hinge cover and to additionally strengthen the same. Solder-ed, or otherwise secured to the upright sides B B of the can body at the corners formed by the inwardly projecting right angle flanges b* are sheet metal guides K for the removable glass plate C, each guide being preferably of channel form, as will be clearlv understood from Fig. 4 of the drawing. The removable sheet metal sign plate F is preferably made of tin plate and suitably printed or decorated in colors with the name, letters or other configuration of the desired sign while the sheet is in the flat, in the usual method of printing or decorating tin plate or other sheet metal. After being thus printed or decorated the sheet metal sign plate is formed or shaped up with a reversely folded and grooved or channeled holding flange or guide. j at its lower edge, adapted to receive and it over the upper edge of the glass plate C. At its upper edge the sign plate is preferably furnished with an inturned or right angle strengthening flange f1 provided with a fold f2; and similar flanges f1 and folds f2 may also be provided at the ends of the sign plate to strengthen and stiften the same and give the sign plate a smooth finish free from raw edges, thus preventing it from injuring or cutting the hands. The Xed sectional top plate Gr, at the upper end of the can, is provided with a Xed holder or channel guide M to receive and house or cover the upper edge of the sign plate, t-he same being preferably soldered or otherwise secured to the underside of the fixed top plate Gr. The channel guide M is preferably similar in construction to the channel guides K K, and is formed by bending a narrow strip of tin plate into a. rectangular U-shape in cross section, as illustrated in the drawing.

N is a fiat spring secured in the channel guide, preferably by solder at the middle portion of the spring. The free ends of this spring bear upon the upper edge of the sign plate and thus hold its lower channeled edge in engagement with the upper edge of the glass plate.

The channel guide M at the front top corner of the can serves not only as a-'guide to hold the sign plate in place at its upper edge, but also serves as a brace or stiflening device to strengthen the can body at its front side or upper front corner. The channel guide or holder M for the upper edge of the sign plate also acts as a closed housing or covering for the sign plate and prevents its moving upward out of the can. The sectional top plate G has at its front edge a iange gt embracing the channel guide or holder M.

To remove the sign plate it is simply slipped or pressed upward until its lower grooved edge is freed from or disengaged from the upper edge of the glass plate; and then by tilting the glass plate inward at its lower portion its upper edge is readily freed from the channel guide M and removed. After the sign plate is removed the glass plate is removed by simply slipping it upward in the channel guides K K at its ends, until its lower edge is above the same. To

insert the removable plates, the glass plate is first inserted and then the upper edge of the sign plate is first inserted in the channel guide M, and the spring N compressed until the lower grooved or channeled edge of the sign plate can slip over and enga-ge the up-. per edge of the glass plate. When the glass plate and sign plate are in place in the can they cooperate to hold or maintain each other in position, the sign plate serving to prevent the glass plate from slipping upward and the glass plate serving to prevent the sign plate from tilting inwardly at its lower portion or from slipping downward. The sign plate F may be furnished with an external bead or shoulder f3 at its lower portion to facilitate the raising of the same against the tension of the spring N in the upper channel guide M.

The bottom, sides, top and hinged cover of my improved display can or boX are preferably made of tin plate, and the front or display plate D of brass or burnishable metal, so that the same can be put under a buifing wheel and be reburnished as required. During the reburnishing operation the sheet metal color-printed sign plate is removed as well as the glass plate, as the buffing wheel would tend to deface the lettering and. decoration ofthe sign.

While in the drawing I have illustratedv the preferred and best form known to me for practicing my invention, the same embodying various improved features of construction made the subject of certain claims, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the more important features of my invention may be embodied and used vwithout such details and in various forms of cans. And I wish it to be distinctly understood that so far as the principal features of my invention are concerned the same are independent of the particular construction of can shown in the drawing, and may be emy bodied in various forms and constructions of cans, and are not limited to the particular construction of the different parts illustrated in the drawing.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 6 the top of the can body at its upright back and sides B B B is furnished with a hollow triangular strengthening brace b5, and the hinged cover H1 extends over the whole top of the can body and the channel guide M at the top, in connection with spring N secured thereto,serves also asabrace to stiffen the front of the can.Y The hollow triangular strengthening bar 55 for each of the upright sides B is preferably formed integral therewith and comprises a longitudinal flange b and an inclined flange 67 which at its lower edge meets and is preferably soldered to the upright side B of which it forms a part. The channel guide M in theconstruction shown in Fig. 6 is soldered or Too 'deep flange is a separate piece h of brass to conform to the brass front plate D of the can, which is rovided with a hump or catch ZS adapteclnto fit or snap into an opening 71.1 in the flange It to hold the cover closed.

4I claim:

l. In a display can, the combination with a can body having a front plate formed with an opening, of two removable plates closing 'said opening and having means for engaging each other against relative forward and backward movement, means on the can body holding one of said removable plates against forward and backward movement, the latter plate being vertically slidable, and a spring pressing on one of the plates and acting to force the plates together and to maintain the said engagement of the plates.

2. In a display can, the combination with a can body having a front plate formed with an opening, of two removable plates closing said opening and .having means for engaging each other against relative forward and backward movement, means on the can body holding one of said removable plates against forward and backward movement, the latter plate being vertically slidable, and a spring pressing on one of the plates and acting to force the plates together and to maintain the said engagement of the plates, the can body having a fixed guide covering the upper edge of the upper plate.

In a display can, the combination with a can body having a front plate formed with a single opening, of a removable metal sign plate and a removable glass plate closing said opening and having means for engaging each other against relative forward and backward movement consistin of a continuous channel formed at the iwer part of the sign plate in which channel the upper edge of the glass plate is inclosed, and means for forcing the said plates together to maintain the engagement of the said channel.

VVALDEN L. LASKEY.

Vitnesses:

L. A. WELLEs, R. H. IsMoN. 

